EDINBURGH, THEO AND ALDYTH

I recently visited Edinburgh for two days in August. It is indeed the best time to visit this ancient city, as this is the time of their annual "Festival". Summer is glorious and, the flowers are a riot of colours. We had actually gone there to visit friends - Theo and Aldyth. I was introduced to them about 13 years back.

Edinburgh is a place which is very easy to fall in love with. The old world architecture, its streets, The Royal Mile, the castle looking over the city, the Old town and the New town are well laid out and appear to be planned. Looking in any direction, one can only see beauty. It is either the sea, or church spires or steeples or the Scott Memorial. It is a small city, which is quiet ancient and still retains its old world charm. The Royal Mile, which starts from the Castle and ends at the Holyrood Palace is actually a little more than a mile long. The road is full of history and historical buildings. The Royal Mile is at a height on a hilltop and therefore almost all the openings between two buildings lead downhill to more buildings and passages. These passages are called "Close". One can see the Advocates Close, Fishmonger close and so on and so forth. The famous tollbooth is also situated on this road. This was the place where toll had to be paid, before entering Edinburgh. The Tollbooth was the administrative focus, the tax-collection point, the council chamber, the court and the jail for the burgh of Canongate, which lay outside Edinburgh at that time.

The house of John Knox is also situated on this road. Knox was the person of whom Mary Queen of Scots had said, "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe." He lived at the time Mary was Queen of Scots. Knox was known to have no respect for women.
In the late I770s, Deacon Brodie, who also lived on the Royal Mile, was a respected town councillor by day, and believe it or not, it is a fact which is stranger than fiction, but he was a criminal by night - he was a thief. Something about his outer veneer of polished respectability and his inner delight in dodging the law has made him a local hero. He was the model for Stevenson's "Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".

Other famous residents of Edinburgh were the English novelist Daniel Defoe, Adam Smith, poet Robert Fergusson , Robert Burns, George Drummond, six times Lord Provost, and the driving force behind the New Town, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, George Thomas De Quincey, and John Napier, cursed by many a schoolchild as the inventor of logarithms, Alexander Graham Bell, and Sean Connery.

A well known figure of this city is Greyfriars Bobby( photo on top), the most famous Skye terrier in the world. His master, John Gray, a farmer from Midlothian, died one Wednesday market day in 1858 and for 14 long years the ever-loyal little dog refused to leave his graveside in Greyfriars' Kirkyard. Bobby was looked after until his death by the local people, who gave him a collar. Bobby could not be buried next to his master when he died. He was quietly laid to rest in a different part of the graveyard, in a patch of unconsecrated ground. There is a statue of the terrier near the graveyard.

The Royal College of Physicians which gives the MRCP degree is located in this city. It also has the Edinburgh and Napier University. There are Banks and Financial institutions galore almost all on the St. Andrews Square.

There is a beautiful hotel The Balmoral on Princes street which was originally a Railways hotel. Their clock was always kept advanced by 3 minutes, so that no one would miss their train.

We all have read about King Robert Bruce and the spider. He was the King who tried and tried again and regained his kingdom after 7 attempts, after being inspired by a spider weaving his web.

Tartans, kilts, Scotch whisky, haggis, black pudding, there are a lot of things about Edinburgh which one could write about. More of that some other time.

Right now, I want to talk of my two dear friends, Theo and Aldyth ,who live in this enchanting historical city. Theo is in his nineties and Aldyth is in her eighties. They are teachers by profession - Theo studied at Oxford, taught there, later at Wales and then at Edinburgh university. He was a professor of Ancient History-Roman and Greek, to be precise. Aldyth taught Russian at Edinburgh, and she continues to do the same, to this day. Now of course the students come to her house and it is all gratis.

They are real teachers, they teach by example - "the art of living". I haven't seen a better teacher than them. Theo is hard of hearing - he needs a hearing aid. His memory however is exceptionally sharp. He can recall names, incidents, anecdotes and has an immense memory bank, which he dips into often. Time spent with him is a very happy and educative time. The way he can talk on any subject and keep the interest alive is stupendous and amazing. He is a "Guru" in the true sense of the word. He is a very loving person, and is an excellent host.

He has difficulty in walking. That does not deter him - ever.... He travels to Oxford once a year to visit his sister, then travels to London to visit his friends. He travels by train and tube and is ever ready to walk to his destination. He smiles, never complains, never appears helpless..... simply because, he never is.

Aldyth is a very graceful, cheerful and loving lady, who always makes one feel very welcome. She is a very happy, bubbly, and energetic person. She is full of life and optimism. Aldyth too has difficulty in walking. She too uses a walking stick. She loves to travel and there would be few places in the world which she has desired to see and not seen. She goes to Greece, Egypt, Poland, Turkey, Russia as often as she can. She recently visited Iceland. Last year she was in India travelling in the backwaters of Kerala - all by herself!! Never one to look for company or help-she is an example to follow. Her cheer will not let you see the distress she is facing as Theo is in hospital, having recently suffered a stroke. I marvel at her strength and fortitude.

They have a big house and the kitchen is on the lower floor, while their living room is upstairs. They continue to walk up and down the stairs. They maintain their style, and there is no compromise at all, for their age. They give themselves no concessions. Aldyth uses the computer and wants to learn to use the Internet even more adeptly. Who says age is a deterrent? Learning can be done at any age and stage. Only the will has to be present.
Meeting them both at Edinburgh was enlightening. It was a lesson to me to carry on happily, in the face of any adversity in life. When we were walking towards Theo's room in the hospital, we could hear loud singing - that was Theo. He had a book by his bedside, about the First war of Independence of India of 1857. It was great to see him. He was cheerful, interested in all that was happening, not complaining at all about anything. I could think of all the various things about which both Theo and Aldyth could have complained, but no - all that they could talk of, was us and our trip to Edinburgh. I thought they were such a perfect couple, thinking only of others. Thinking of ways to be happy, comfortable, accepting their problems so stoically. They knew that their problems were their own, and they were happy to deal with them alone. Not once did the smile go from their face, not once did I see despair, sadness or anything but bon homie and cheer. Aldyth is on her way to Poland again for a week, and Theo said to her, "Be sure to get home safe". I was very touched by his care, concern and devotion to Aldyth.

I kept thinking of their attitude towards life and thought to myself that life teaches us so much. One only has to observe and absorb. There are some messages that come to us, which teach us so much about life and how to live. The need is for us to read the message and try to make our own lives happier. It was so lovely meeting them. My trip to Edinburgh left me with very happy thoughts.